Pandemic Grandparents

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Listen now to me and my guest Allison Briscoe-Smith for a discussion about what grandparents and families are dealing with during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

8/17/20, KPFA.org—94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=339302

 

In the US there are approximately 70 million grandparents, and for too many, physical contact with their young grandchildren has been cut off. Other grandparents have stepped into the role of childcare providers, and some have opened up their homes to their kids and grandkids full time.  How has this pandemic changed your role, and how are you dealing with the anxiety, isolation, or exhaustion from all the changes that have occurred?


Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a full-time faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She is also a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, where she serves as one of the hosts of the center’s popular Science of Happiness podcast. After earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley, Dr. Briscoe-Smith’s research has focused on trauma/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how children understand race. She lectures widely and leads workshops on these issues for parents, educators, and many others. 

Pandemic Parenting

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There is so much to consider during this pandemic as parents and grandparents do the best they can to keep their relationships with their children healthy and loving. There is no “right way” to get through this time in our lives…but if we can put our children at the center of our decisions, then we will nurture and keep safe the next generation. And in order to do this, parents MUST take care of themselves with enough sleep (your laughing now) healthy food, a little time each day to move your body, and deep gratitude for being alive and building your capacity to thrive in the face of adversity.

Many different events, thoughts, and emotions can trigger your yelling and frustration, but they are all modified or intensified by three unique and important factors: Your temperament, your child’s temperament, and how they fit together.

To learn more check out the links below:

-Article on temperament 

-Temperament survey to look at your temperament and also your child’s-

https://www.nurserona.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PDF_ImpressChildTemp.pdf

-To learn more and to get a temperament assessment for a child 4months to 5years go to www.preventiveoz.org. 

-You can also read the classic book, “Raising Your Spirited Child,” by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, or my book “Is That Me Yelling? A Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Kids to Cooperate Without Losing Your Cool.”

-You can also listen to a show on Temperament with Nurse Rona and Mary Sheedy Kurcinka http://ia802205.us.archive.org/0/items/childhood-matters-10-03-21/chilhood-matters-10-03-21.mp3

Pandemic Learning: The Stresses and Strategies of School at Home

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This pandemic has brought an unprecedented amount of stress to parents as they figure out how to hold down their jobs while having their kids doing school from home. Unlike people who have chosen to provide their children with homeschooling, most parents want their kids in school with a trained teacher…and out of their hair. But we must all think about what we can do that preserves the loving relationships in the family, and work together to make a plan that accounts for everyone’s needs.

On 7/27/20 my guest was Denise Pope, Ph.D, on KPFA.org radio online—94.1FM

Listen now… https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=337970

Guest:

Denise Pope, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, where she specializes in student engagement, curriculum studies, qualitative research methods, and service learning. She is co-founder of ​Challenge Success​, a research and intervention project that provides schools and families the tools they need to raise healthy, motivated students. Challenge Success is an expanded version of the SOS: Stressed-Out Students project that Dr. Pope founded and directed from 2003-2008. She is the author of, ​”Doing School”: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students​, which was awarded Notable Book in Education by the American School Board Journal, 2001, and lead author of ​”Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids.”  She also co-hosts the Stanford University SiriusXM radio show called “School’s In.”

Dr. Pope lectures nationally on parenting techniques and pedagogical strategies to increase student health, engagement with learning, and integrity. She is a 3-time recipient of the Stanford University School of Education Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award and was honored with the 2012 Education Professor of the Year “Educators’ Voice Award” from the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences.

Sobriety and Recovery During The Pandemic

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Listen now! My guest was Dr. Adam Front on KPFA.org—94.1FM 

7/13/20 https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=337024

 

During the Covid-19 Pandemic some people are drinking more or using other substances to help them cope with stress, anxiety, frustration, relationship problems, or previous trauma. These are challenging times, especially for people who have a history of substance over use or abuse.

If you’re trying to stay sober, professionals remind us that recovery happens in community, with support from loved ones or other people who understand what you may be dealing with. 

“According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than 1/3 of people say the pandemic has had a significant impact on their mental health, and 8% say that it has caused them to drink and misuse drugs more than before.”

Guest: Dr. Adam Front is a Clinical Psychologist who has been helping clients with addictions, anxiety, and other issues for over 35 years. He has developed and run programs in Florida, Minnesota, and California, and has been in the San Francisco Bay area since 1987. He currently has a private practice in San Ramon, CA.  Dr. Front works with individuals seeking help for a wide range of issues, and his particular specialties are in the areas of addictions (chemicals like alcohol and other drugs, but also addictive behaviors such as food, sex, gambling and shopping), and anxiety issues (including worry, obsessions and compulsions, traumatic fear responses, agoraphobia and panic attacks). He also helps clients with relationship issues, self-esteem, assertiveness, anger management and a variety of other problems. He is currently working on a book, Relaxing Into Recovery

For referrals from the National Help Line at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) 

 

The Intersection of Climate Action, Social Justice, and Healthcare

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Listen Now: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=336205

 

About Health on KPFA.org, 94.1FM, (6/29/20)

A recent article that caught my attention in the New York Times stated: “Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most.” 

We can’t tackle the Climate Emergency, Health Disparities, and Social Justice in isolation. We need to look at policies and approaches that promote health and well being for individuals, communities, and the world.

Guest: Angel V. Shannon, MS, CRNP, is a board-certified adult-geriatric nurse practitioner with over twenty-five years experience in chronic disease management and mind-body medicine. She is the founder and clinical director of Seva Health and Seva Health Media, providing integrative healthcare and education for adults and seniors. Drawing upon a childhood immersed in environmental stewardship and decades of diverse clinical experiences in critical care, emergency medicine, trauma care, community home health, and insurance administration, Angel takes a unique, whole person approach to disease prevention in her private practice.

Angel holds strong ties to community and public health, serving as an active board member of the Maryland Community Research Advisory Board at the University of Maryland School of Public Health Center for Health Equity (MD-CRAB), and a former adjunct professor of Family and Community Health at Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing. An avid gardener, she recently earned her Master Gardener Certification from the University of Maryland Extension and is working to develop community based gardening programs for active seniors. Her latest career endeavor is creation of the Seva Institute, an organization that redefines healthcare and continues her scholarship in mind-body medicine, provides organizational training in mindfulness based stress reduction, individual coaching and personalized restorative retreats. Learn more at www.sevahealthgroup.com

Talking With Kids About Racism And How To Be Antiracist

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It’s vital that we all reflect on how we talk with children about racism and understand how our spoken and unspoken words and actions shape them. Are you raising your kids to be anti-racist and compassionate people? How do we help them see that Black Lives Matter? And do they see you stand up for antiracist policies?

As parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts and uncles, we have a big responsibility. Our kids are always watching us and listening to how we understand the world. Let’s help each other, for our kids sake.

Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D—6/15/20 on KPFA.org—94.1FM

Listen Now https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=335307

 

Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a full-time faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She is also a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, where she serves as one of the hosts of the center’s popular Science of Happiness podcast. After earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley, Dr. Briscoe-Smith’s research has focused on trauma/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how children understand race. She lectures widely and leads workshops on these issues for parents, educators, and many others.

Resilience and Neuroplasticity In A Changing World

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Feeling fear and uncertainty is normal at this time. There is so much going on that is out of our control. How do we work with our mind and body to reduce the negative effects of stress and call on our mental resources for well being?

I’m honored to have Rick Hanson, PhD, join us for a conversation about his work.

Listen now to the show on 6/1/20 at KPFA.org, 94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=334488

Rick Hanson, PhD is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His books have been published in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. His free weekly newsletter has 150,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, he began meditating in 1974 and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails.

Elderhood In The Time Of Covid-19

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Listen now to our show on 5/18/20 @KPFA.org—94.1FM for a conversation with Geriatrician Dr. Louise Aronson on elders during this deadly pandemic.

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=333776

The CDC reports that 80% of coronavirus deaths are people 65 and older.

Research is showing that adults 60 and older, especially those with preexisting medical conditions, are more likely to have severe coronavirus infection than other age groups. One way to reduce the risk of older family members catching the virus is to limit in-person visits—but there are also consequences to this strategy. Social distancing doesn’t have to mean isolation or loneliness. We need a society that cares about elders!

Dr. Louise Aronson is a geriatrician, writer, educator, and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the author of the New York Times bestseller Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, Dr. Aronson has received the Gold Professorship in Humanism in Medicine, the California Homecare Physician of the Year award, and the American Geriatrics Society Clinician-Teacher of the Year award. Her writing appears in publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Discover Magazine, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Her work has been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR’s Fresh Air, Politico, LitHub, Kaiser Health News, and Tech Nation. And recently we heard that Elderhood was one of 4 finalists for the General Nonfiction Pulitzer Prize! Find out more at https://louisearonson.com/

Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Resilience

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Listen now to 5/4/20 show on About Health (KPFA.org–94.1FM) 

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=333031

With the Covid-19 Pandemic, anxiety about our health, safety, and future is high! It’s hard to relax when there is so much uncertainty. For many people it’s particularly challenging. Under normal conditions anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the US age 18 and older, and is thought to be the most common mental health problem in the US.

Call us with your concerns and questions: 1-800-958-9008

Jennifer Shannon, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and a Certified Diplomat in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy specializing in anxiety.  She has over thirty years of experience treating children, teens and adults.  She is the author of five books, including Don’t Feed The Monkey Mind, The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens, and Monkey Mind Workbook for Uncertainty to be published August of this year. She is coming out with a kindle book this month called The Anxiety Virus, Five Essential Practices to Build Immunity to Uncertainty. She speaks regularly at national conferences and has been featured on radio programs, in magazines and newspapers. She co-authors her books with her husband Doug, a gifted illustrator. Find out more about Jennifer Shannon at www.jennifershannon.com

Staying Healthy During Covid-19 Pandemic

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Listen now to the show we did 4/20/20 on About Health KPFA.org—94.FM

We discussed things to do (and to avoid) to build a strong immune system and stay healthy.

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=332221

We know that basic things like eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising are all key ingredients to good health, but during a pandemic things get more complicated.

Are you having trouble sleeping? Do you find yourself looking in your refrigerator for foods high in fats, carbs, and sugar too often? Is your anxiety about the future getting the best of you? And are you worried about an underlying medical issue, but not sure if you should call your doctor?

 

Harry McIlroy, MD, is an integrative physician certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Before medical school and completion of residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, he had a background in nutrition and obtained a Master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Dr. Harry strives to provide patients with health tools that empower them to improve their well being. Some of his specialities include Medical Cannabis, Chronic Pain, Digestive Health, Regenerative Medicine, and Insomnia. He serves as a volunteer clinical faculty member for the UCSF Medical School, and mentors and teaches medical residents at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, which provides medical care to underserved populations.

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I'm thrilled to offer my book to parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone who cares for and about children. If you would like to set up a presentation or training for your child's school, or your work place, contact me at rona@nurserona.com.

Is That Me Yelling? is available in most bookstores and at Amazon

"Engaging and practical, humorous and evidence-based, prescriptive but not preachy, authoritative yet never stuffy, Is That Me Yelling? quickly rises to the top of the many parenting books I've ever read. Rona Renner provides thoughtful and achievable solutions. If you're a parent who has ever yelled at your kid and wished you hadn't, this book is for you."
—Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley; and vice-chair of psychology at the University of California, S.F.

"Is That Me Yelling? is a complete and compassionate companion for every parent​ and ​educator​. ​With excellent examples from her extensive professional and personal experience, nurse Rona illustrates fundamental psychological principles and functional parenting practices with empathy and enthusiasm."
—Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, PhD, clinical psychologist, parent educator, radio host, and author.

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